Helping You Build Wealth With Honest Research
Since 1996. Try Now

MEMBER'S LOGINX

     
Invalid Username / Password
   
     
   
     
 
Invalid Captcha
   
 
 
 
(Please do not use this option on a public machine)
 
     
 
 
 
  Sign Up | Forgot Password?  


Sensex Opens Flat; Banking & FMCG Stocks Under Pressure
Tue, 20 Oct 09:30 am

Asian stock markets are lower today as investors adjusted risk exposure heading into the US election and as a deadline for Washington to pass an economic stimulus bill approached.

The Hang Seng is trading up by 0.5% and the Nikkei is trading up by 1.1%.

In US, Wall Street's main indexes closed lower on Monday as there seemed to be no consensus among US lawmakers on coronavirus stimulus ahead of a Tuesday deadline that would make a relief package possible ahead of the elections.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 411 points, or 1.4% while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 193 points, or 1.7%.

Back home, Indian share markets have opened the day on a flat note.

Market participants are tracking shares of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Bombay Dyeing as these companies are scheduled to announce their Q2FY21 results later today.

The BSE Sensex is trading up by 55 points. The NSE Nifty is trading higher by 14 points.

HCL Tech and L&T are among the top gainers today. SBI, on the other hand, is among the top losers today.

The BSE Mid Cap index has opened down by 0.1%. The BSE Small Cap index opened up by 0.2%.

Sectoral indices are trading mixed with stocks in the banking sector witnessing selling pressure. IT stocks, on the other hand, are trading in green.

The rupee is trading at 73.35 against the US$.

Gold prices are trading down by 0.3% at Rs 50,539 per 10 grams.

Speaking of the current stock market scenario, note that Indian share markets have climbed back to their highest levels since the pandemic began.

The Sensex breached the 40,000-mark earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Nifty went past the 12,000-mark last week on Monday.

The smallcap index is up more than 60% since 23 March.

As per Richa Agarwal, lead smallcap analyst at Equitymaster, there could still be a lot of steam left to this smallcap rebound rally.

Have a look at the history of previous smallcap crashes and rebounds over the last two decades...


Every big fall in the smallcap index was followed by a sharp up move, a minimum gain 200%. Twice the rebounds were just shy of touching 300%.

Richa believes if you focus on the quality of business, margin of safety in valuations, and an optimum asset allocation, you are likely to create huge wealth for yourself.

In news from the economic space, the government has not closed the option of a third stimulus package in the current financial year, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday, a week after announcing measures to boost consumer spending and capital expenditure.

Speaking at the launch of a book by NK Singh, Chairperson of the 15th Finance Commission, the Finance Minister said, "we have not closed the option for another stimulus package. We have now started doing some kind of assessment on GDP contraction, we have got some input. We will have to come up with the assessment, whether in parliament or in public."

On 12 October, the finance minister announced a stimulus package worth Rs 466.8 billion, including incentives for central government employees to spend more on consumer durables as well as higher capital expenditure for both the Centre and states.

Asked whether the finance ministry will come out with its own projection for the GDP contraction for the fiscal, Sitharaman said the ministry has just started making an assessment after waiting for the first half of the fiscal to be over.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has projected the economy to contract 9.5% in FY21 while the International Monetary Fund has estimated GDP to shrink 10.3%.

Replying to another question, the minister said the cabinet will soon take up a proposal to identify the strategic sectors in which public sector enterprises would function, opening up other sectors to the private sector as announced as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat package.

Earlier today, Sitharaman held a video conference with Secretaries of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Ministry of Coal, along with the chairman and managing directors of 14 central public sector enterprises belonging to these Ministries, to review the capital expenditure in this financial year.

How the above developments pan out remains to be seen.

Moving on to stock specific news...

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is among the top buzzing stocks today.

L&T has emerged as the lowest bidder for constructing the largest segment of the high speed rail line between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

The company bid Rs 249.9 billion for the 237.1 km stretch for the bullet train project, beating two other bids led by Tata Projects and Afcons Infrastructure.

L&T emerged as the lowest bidder after the National High-Speed Rail Corp (NHSRCL) opened financial bids submitted by the three infrastructure development firms for package C4 on Monday.

This is the largest for the line's construction, representing 47% of the main line of 508.17 km.

L&T share price has opened the day up by 1.5%.

Apart from L&T, market participants are also tracking BPCL share price.

The oil major's privatization bid deadline will not be extended for the fifth time, as the government's strategic disinvestment program that was hit by the pandemic is back on track, DIPAM Secretary said on Monday.

The current deadline is 16 November.

To know what's moving the Indian stock markets today, check out the most recent share market updates here.

For information on how to pick stocks that have the potential to deliver big returns, download our special report now!

Read the latest Market Commentary


Equitymaster requests your view! Post a comment on "Sensex Opens Flat; Banking & FMCG Stocks Under Pressure". Click here!